Nurse Practitioners: Taking on New Roles as Physician Shortage Grows

In both primary care and specialty practices, nurse practitioners not only have a growing presence, but they also play an increasingly key role in delivering care to patients in these settings.

As healthcare professionals grapple with the growing physician shortage, nurse practioners have emerged as a solution to the problem. In both primary care and specialty practices, nurse practitioners not only have a growing presence, but they also play an increasingly key role in delivering care to patients in these settings.

A recent study published in Health Affairs has pointed to a significant increase in the presence of nurse practitioners in both rural and nonrural primary care practices, with the biggest increases seen in rural practices. For more insight into specialty practices, today we speak with Lori Lucas, ARNP, of Florida Cancer Specialists, to get an inside look at the role of nurse practitioners in oncology and how that role has evolved with physician shortages.